Читать книгу How to Seduce a Billionaire - Kate Carlisle - Страница 7

“Memo to self: Cancel all employee vacations,” Brandon Duke muttered as he reached for his coffee cup and realized it was empty. Yet another reminder that his invaluable assistant, Kelly Meredith, was still away on vacation. She’d been gone for the past two weeks, and that was fourteen days too long as far as he was concerned.

It wasn’t like Brandon couldn’t get his own cup of coffee. He wasn’t that lame. It was just that Kelly always beat him to it, showing up with a piping hot refill at the right time, every time. She was a dynamo in every other way, too. Clients loved her. Spreadsheets didn’t intimidate her. And she was an excellent judge of character, something he’d recognized early on. That was a quality worth its weight in gold and he’d taken advantage of it from the start by having Kelly accompany him to various business meetings all over the country.

Brandon’s own instincts were spot on when it came to judging a potential business partner or the motives of a competitor, but Kelly was a strong backup. Even his brothers had gotten into the habit of having Kelly vet new hires and solve problems in other departments. They called her the miracle worker, for good reason. If there was a thankless job that needed handling, Kelly grabbed it with both hands and worked her magic. Everything ran more smoothly because of her.

Taking advantage of the early morning quiet in the still empty office suite, Brandon grabbed a legal pad and began to scribble notes for a meeting with his brothers later today. Now that the Mansion at Silverado Trail, the Dukes’ newest resort in Napa Valley and the jewel in the crown of the Duke hotel empire, was about to celebrate its grand opening, it was time to focus his energies on new properties and new challenges.

Reading what he’d written, he was reminded of another reason he needed his assistant to come back from vacation: she could decipher his handwriting.

In the middle of bullet-pointing several options for a takeover bid on a small chain of luxury hotels along the picturesque Oregon coast, Brandon checked his calendar. Every hour of the day was filled with appointments, conference calls and deadlines, many of them connected to the grand opening celebration. Good thing his assistant would be back today, and about damn time. The temp replacement had been competent, but Kelly was the only one who could handle the myriad pressures and scheduling conflicts involved in the upcoming festivities.

And speaking of pressures, his brother’s wife was about to pop out a baby soon. This would be Mom’s first grandkid, and you would’ve thought no other child had ever been born. Talk about a major celebration. But what in the world was Brandon supposed to buy the kid? Season tickets on the 49ers’ fifty-yard line he could swing, but otherwise, he was clueless. Didn’t matter. Kelly would know the perfect gift to buy and she’d probably wrap it, too.

Brandon heard rustling and the sound of drawers opening just outside his partly opened door.

“Good morning, Brandon,” a cheery voice called out.

“About time you got back, Kelly,” he said with relief. “Come see me after you’ve had a chance to settle in.”

“You bet. I’ll just make a pot of coffee first.”

Brandon checked his watch. Sure enough, she was fifteen minutes early, one more indication that she was an ideal employee who deserved all the perks the job offered. But he still planned to outlaw vacations from now on.

“Ah, it’s good to be back,” Kelly murmured as she powered up her computer. Hard to believe, but she’d actually missed Brandon Duke while she was gone. The sound of his deep voice gave her a little thrill she attributed to the fact that she loved her job.

She stashed her tote bag and purse in the credenza behind her desk and quickly made coffee. Her hand shook as she filled the pot with water at the small kitchen kiosk across from her office and she forced herself to relax. She really was happy to be back at the job she loved, so why was she so nervous?

Okay, she’d made a few changes while on vacation, but nobody would notice, right? Nobody ever noticed anything about her except for her savvy business sense and can-do attitude, and that was just the way she wanted it. So if she happened to be wearing a dress today instead of one of her usual pantsuits, who would care? The fact that she’d never worn a dress to the office before wouldn’t stand out to anyone here. Even if today’s dress was a beautiful dark gray knit that buttoned up the front and clung subtly to her curves. And that was just fine and dandy.

And if she’d finally changed over to contact lenses, so what? She’d been wearing the same boring eyeglasses for the past five years. Change was a good thing.

“Kelly,” Brandon called from his office. “Bring the Dream Coast file with you when you come in, will you?”

“Be right there.”

The familiar sound of Brandon Duke’s voice made Kelly smile. He should’ve intimidated her from day one. At six feet four inches tall, he towered over her, and she knew for a fact that he was rock-solid muscle underneath his designer suits. She knew, because she’d run into him more than once at the hotel gym and seen him in shorts and a T-shirt. A former NFL quarterback bench-pressing ridiculously heavy barbells was quite a sight. Sometimes, while watching him, she found it hard to breathe steadily, but she chalked up those moments to spending too much time on the treadmill.

She chuckled at the thought of some of her girlfriends, who’d told her they would kill for a chance to see the stunningly handsome Brandon Duke working out in gym shorts. Luckily for Kelly, she’d never been tempted by her boss.

Yes, he was gorgeous, almost unbelievably so, but to Kelly, having a great job meant a lot more than having a brief, meaningless affair with some superstar athlete. And yes, an affair with Brandon Duke would never be anything but brief and meaningless. She’d seen firsthand the women who lined up to date him, and she’d seen them flicked off without a backward glance within a couple of weeks. It wasn’t pretty, and she never wanted to find herself in that line. Not that she would qualify to stand in that line, but—

“What are you thinking?” she whispered to herself. She’d never thought of her boss in those terms before and she wouldn’t start now. Shaking her head in disgust, she had to wonder if maybe she’d taken too many days off.

As the coffeepot filled, Kelly took a moment to glance out the wide bay window and felt both proud and lucky to be here in this job. Who wouldn’t want to work on a hilltop in the heart of Napa Valley, overlooking lush fields of grapevines as far as the eye could see?

Brandon and his small corporate staff had been working on-site at the Mansion at Silverado Trail for the past four months. They would stay here another month or so, until the resort was up and running and the grape harvest was over. Then they would all relocate back to Duke headquarters in Dunsmuir Bay.

By then, Kelly’s plan would be complete, and her life would settle down to normal. But until then, she would simply have to remind herself to relax and breathe.

“Do you hear me, self? Just relax,” she murmured as she ran her hands over her dress to smooth away any wrinkles, then filled two large mugs with hot coffee. “Breathe.”

She stopped at her desk to drop off her own mug and pick up a short stack of mail, then pushed her boss’s door fully open.

“Good morning, Brandon,” she said breezily, and placed the mail on his desk.

“Morning, Kelly,” he said, as he wrote rapidly on a legal pad. “Great to have you back.”

“Thank you, it’s nice to be back.” She placed his mug on his blotter. “Coffee for you.”

“Thanks,” he said absently, still writing. After a moment, he reached for his coffee and looked up. His eyes widened as he cautiously put the cup down. “Kelly?”

“Yes?” She gazed at him, then blinked. “Oh, sorry. You wanted the Dream Coast file. I’ll be right back with it.”

“Kelly?” His voice sounded strained.

She stopped and turned. “Yes, Brandon?”

He was staring at her in… disbelief? Shock? Horror? Oh, dear. Not a good sign. And the longer he stared, the more nervous she became.

“Oh, come on,” she said. “I don’t look bad enough to have stunned you into speechlessness.” She fiddled with her dress collar as she felt heat moving up her neck and settling into her cheeks. No need to be embarrassed, she scolded herself.

“But, what did you do to…” His voice trailed off as he continued to stare at her face.

“Oh, you mean the contact lenses? Yeah. It was time for a change. Be right back with the file.”

“Kelly.” His tone was demanding.

She turned again. He was still staring, this time at her hair. With a sigh, she brushed a strand back from her cheek. “I had it lightened and shaped. No big deal.” Then she waved him off and rushed to find the file.

Great. If Brandon was any example, people would be staring at her as if she were an alien. How was she supposed to relax and breathe and put her plan into action under those circumstances, darn it?

As she anxiously rifled through the file drawer, she heard the distinctive sound of Brandon’s leather executive chair rolling back from his desk. Seconds later, he was standing in the doorway. Still staring.

“Kelly?” he said again.

She stared up at him from the files. “Why do you keep saying my name?”

“Just making sure it’s you.”

“Well, it is, so cut it out,” she told him, then found what she was looking for. “Ah, here’s that file.”

“What did you do?”

“You asked me that already.”

“And I’m still waiting for an answer.”

Her shoulders drooped for a split second, then she straightened. There was no reason to feel self-conscious, especially not with Brandon. He’d given her glowing reviews and generous raises. He respected and admired her ability to work hard and solve problems. He was her employer, not her overlord, for goodness sake. “I got a little makeover.”

“Little?”

She raised one shoulder in a casual shrug. “That’s right. I lost a few pounds, got a haircut, some contact lenses. No big deal.”

“It is from where I’m standing. You don’t even look like you.”

“Of course I look like me.” She wasn’t about to mention the week spent at the pricey spa or the private etiquette and speech lessons. He would think she’d gone insane. Maybe she had. She’d always been levelheaded, and rational to the point of being called a nerd back in college. Now she wasn’t sure what they would call her.

“But you’re wearing a dress,” he said accusingly.

She looked down, then back at him. “Why, yes, I am. Is that a problem?”

It was his turn to look discomfited as he took a step back. “No. God, no. No problem at all. You look great. It’s just that…” Scrubbing his jaw with his knuckles, he searched for the words. “You don’t wear dresses.”

He’d noticed? Color her surprised. With a resolute smile, she said, “I do now.”

“I guess so,” he said, searching her face, still looking doubtful. “Well, like I said, you look great. Really great.”

“Thank you,” she said, still smiling. “I feel great.”

“Yeah. That’s great.” He nodded, then gritted his teeth and exhaled heavily.

If everything was great, why was he scowling?

“Oh!” she said, feeling ridiculous as she thrust the thick manila folder at him. “Here’s the Dream Coast file.”

His hand grazed hers as the file passed between them and she felt a buzz of awareness all the way up her arm.

Brandon’s frown lines deepened. “Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

He walked back into his office, then turned. “It’s great to have you back.”

And that was how many greats so far? she wondered.

“Thank you,” she said. “And I’ll have the month-end sales figures calculated for you in twenty minutes.”

He closed the door and she sagged down into her chair. Grabbing her own cup of coffee, she took a big gulp. “Oh yeah, it’s great to be back.”

Brandon tossed the Dream Coast file onto his desk and continued walking across the plush office until he reached the floor-to-ceiling window that lined one long wall. He and his team were working out of the owner’s suite on the penthouse level of the Mansion at Silverado Trail, and he never grew tired of the view. Normally, when he gazed out at the gently sloping hills of chardonnay grapevines, he relished the pride he felt when he saw such visible symbols of his family’s success.

A hot air balloon drifted silently in the sky overhead and birds skittered from tree to tree across the hills. But he ignored all of it as he caught the barest whiff of flowers and spice drifting in the air. He wasn’t used to his assistant wearing perfume, or maybe he’d never noticed that she did, but for the first time ever, the arresting scent conjured up visions of a cool hotel room and a hot blonde. Naked. Wrapped in sheets. Under him.

Kelly. He could still smell her. Damn it.

He’d made a fool of himself just now, gaping at her as though she were a juicy steak and he were a starved puppy. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to speak. He’d sounded like a damn parrot, repeating her name over and over. But he would lay the blame for that solely at her feet. She’d succeeded in shocking the hell out of him and that never happened to Brandon Duke.

A makeover? He shook his head as he paced the length of the wall of glass. Who could fathom a woman’s mind? Kelly didn’t need a makeover. She’d been fine the way she was. All business, completely professional, smart, discreet. Never a distraction.

Brandon didn’t like distractions in the workplace. In his office, it was all business, all the time. After ten years in the spotlight of the NFL, he was all too aware that distractions ruined your game. You took your eye off the ball and the next thing you knew, you were buried in a pile of tough, ugly defensive ends who would just as soon see you dead.

Brandon splayed one hand on the plate glass window. Talk about a distraction. Who knew his competent assistant had those amazing curves and world-class legs hidden beneath the boxy pantsuits she’d worn every day? And those eyes, so big and blue a man could get lost in them?

Most disturbing of all, she seemed to be wearing some kind of new, glossy lipstick. It had to be new, otherwise he would’ve noticed her incredibly sexy, bee-stung lips long before today. But he was noticing now. He’d almost spilled his coffee noticing.

Her new dress clung to every curve of her lush body. Curves he’d never known existed before. Even though he saw her in the hotel gym regularly, she always exercised in a big T-shirt and sweatpants. Who knew she’d been hiding a body like that under all those layers of sweaty workout clothes? She’d clearly been working here under false pretenses all this time.

“Now you just sound ridiculous,” he groused. But who could blame him? His sedate, hard-working assistant was simply gorgeous. It was such a betrayal.

And what the hell had happened a minute ago when her hand touched his? He thought he’d felt something sizzling inside him. It had to be his imagination, but recalling that sensation of skin against skin caused his groin to leap to attention. He smacked the wall in disgust.

“Change is good,” he grumbled sarcastically and he sat back down at his desk. No, change wasn’t good. Not when he was used to Kelly’s nondescript hair and the way she’d always worn it pulled back in a sensible ponytail or bun. Now it was the color of rich honey tumbling across her shoulders and down her back. It was the sort of color and style that begged a man to run his hands through the lustrous strands as he eased her down to feast on those luscious lips.

His body continued to stir to life and he squelched the feeling by slapping the file folder open and riffling through the papers to find the document he needed. It was useless.

“This is unacceptable.” He refused to lose the careful sense of order and decorum he had always maintained in the workplace. The job was too demanding and Kelly was too important a part of his staff to allow her to suddenly become a distraction. Or more aptly, an attraction.

It was time to nip this in the bud. He reached across his desk and pressed the intercom button on his phone. “Kelly, please come in here.”

“Be right there,” she said briskly. Seven seconds later, she walked into his office carrying a notepad.

“Sit down,” he said, standing up to pace some more. He didn’t quite trust himself with taking another glance at her legs. Damn it, this just was not going to work. “We need to talk.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked in alarm.

“Look, we’ve always been honest with each other, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” she said carefully.

“I trust you completely, as you well know.”

“I know, and I feel the same, Brandon.”

“Good,” he said, unsure of his next move. “Good.”

Now what? He’d never been at a loss for words before. He glanced at her, then had to look away. How and when had she become so beautiful? He knew women. He loved women. And they loved him. Some might even say he had a sixth sense when it came to women. So why hadn’t he known Kelly was this attractive? Was he blind?

“Brandon,” she said slowly. “Are you unhappy with my work?”

“What? No.”

“Did Jane do an okay job while I was gone?”

“Yeah, she was fine. That’s not the problem.”

“Oh good, because I would hate to—”

“Look, Kelly,” he interrupted, tired of this cat and mouse game. “Did something happen to you on your vacation?”

She was taken aback. “No, why would you think—”

“Then what’s with this makeover thing?” he blurted out. “Why’d you do it?”

“That’s what you called me in here for?”

“Yeah.” And he wouldn’t go into how ridiculous he felt for bringing it up, but he had to know. “Why do you think you have to get all dolled up to—”

Her eyes narrowed. “All dolled up?”

“Well, yeah. You know, all made up and… hell.”

“There’s something wrong in trying to look my best?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Did I overdo it somehow? I mean, the makeup counter woman showed me what to do, but I’m new at this. I’m still practicing.” She lifted her face to gaze at him and her lips seemed to glisten as they caught the light. “Tell the truth. Is my makeup too much?”

“God, no, it’s just right.” Too damn right, he thought, but didn’t say.

“Now you’re being nice, but I don’t believe you. The way you looked at me when I came in this morning…”

“What? No.” Oh, crap, he thought. She wasn’t going to cry, was she? She’d never cried before.

“I thought I could do it. Other women do it, for heaven’s sake, why shouldn’t I?” She jumped up from the chair. It was her turn to pace as she pounded her fist into her palm. “I thought I was being subtle. Do I look like a fool?”

“No, you—”

“You can be honest.”

“I’m being—”

“This was a crazy idea to begin with,” she muttered and leaned back against the wall with a sigh. “I can figure out complex mathematical calculations in my head, but I don’t know the first thing about seduction.”

Seduction? Something hit him low in the solar plexus and he wasn’t sure of his next move.

“This is so embarrassing,” she moaned.

“No, it’s not,” he said, silently hoping he’d come up with something profound to say. He had nothing.

“What am I supposed to do now? I’ve only got a week left to… oh, God.” She covered her eyes for a moment, then stared up at the ceiling. Finally, she folded her arms across her chest and tapped one toe of her shiny new heels against the carpet. “How could I be so stupid?”

He walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Stop that. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”

She glared up at him, her plump lips pouty now. “Maybe in business, but never in romance.”

Okay, romance and seduction were definitely on her mind. And now he realized they were on his mind, too. The question was, why? In all the years he’d known Kelly, Brandon had never once heard her mention a name connected to any romantic interest. And now, all of a sudden, she was making herself over to attract some guy? Just who was she thinking of seducing? Did Brandon know the guy? Was he good enough for Kelly?

Brandon paused to carefully word his next question. “Who are you trying to seduce?”

Frowning now, she stared at her fingernails. “Roger. My old boyfriend. But I should’ve known it wouldn’t work.”

Roger? Who the hell was Roger? Brandon had to admit that the part of him that should have been relieved to hear she wasn’t out to seduce him was surprisingly disappointed. Not that he would ever allow anything to happen between them. But still, who the hell was she talking about?

“Who’s Roger?” he asked aloud.

“I just told you, he’s my old boyfriend. His name is Roger Hempstead.” She stepped away from Brandon’s grip and moved back to her chair. “We broke up a few years ago and I haven’t seen him since.”

“How long ago did you break up?”

“It’s been almost five years.”

He made a quick calculation. “But that’s about how long you’ve been working here.”

“That’s right.” She leaned one elbow on the armrest and looked up at him with a valiant smile. “After Roger and I broke up, I couldn’t stand living in the same small town where everyone I knew could dissect my every word and movement. I decided to relocate as far away from home as possible, so I looked for jobs in California and found this one.”

“I’m glad you did, but it must’ve been quite a breakup.”

“It wasn’t fun,” she said carefully, “but I’ve moved on.”

“Have you?”

“Yes, of course.” She nodded her head resolutely. “But then, last month I found out that Roger’s company booked their corporate retreat here at the Mansion. He’ll be here next week.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “And I wanted to knock his socks off.”

“Ah, I see.” And he did, sort of. Resting his hip on the edge of his desk, he said, “If it’s any consolation, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll knock his socks off.”

She gazed at him skeptically. “You’re just saying that to be nice.”

“I’m not that nice. Trust me.”

Her lips twisted into a frown. “I do. Usually.”

“I never lie, remember?”

“True, you don’t typically lie. To me, anyway,” she allowed.

He chuckled. “So it’s been about five years since you broke up with this Roger character, and now you want to make an impression.”

She nodded with determination. “I really, really do.”

“You will. I promise.”

“Thanks.” Her brief smile faded. “But I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m fine at business, but the world of romance is beyond me.”

“Tell me what I can do to help.”

Kelly regarded him with interest. “You mean it?”

“Sure.” He was willing to do almost anything to get things back on track. If Kelly felt secure, she’d be able to do her work and stop worrying about this clown Roger. Then, once Roger was gone, she’d go back to behaving like the Kelly he was comfortable with. His universe would once more be in alignment.

“That would be wonderful,” she said with enthusiasm. “I could really use advice from someone like you.”

“Someone like me?”

She smiled and he was struck again by how beautiful she was. Damn, how blind had he been all these years?

“It’s just that the two of you are so much alike,” she said. “You and Roger, I mean. It would really help to get your perspective on things.”

“What do you mean, we’re alike?”

“I mean, both of you are strong and handsome and arrogant and ruthless and, you know, type A all the way.”

Huh. That was accurate enough, although he’d always thought he was fairly laid-back compared to his two brothers. He did appreciate the strong and handsome part of her description, though.

Kelly had stopped to ponder what she’d just said, then added softly, “Wow, no wonder Roger didn’t think I was enough for him.”

Brandon bristled. “Enough for him?”

She sighed. “You know what I mean. I wasn’t attractive enough for him.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He told me so when he broke up with me.”

For some reason, Brandon felt an irresistible urge to pulverize something. Like Roger’s face. “You’re kidding.”

“No,” she said wryly. “I’m really not. But you saw what I looked like before the makeover, Brandon. Plain, wholesome, unremarkable. Not exactly supermodel material.”

A twinge of guilt pinged inside him as he realized that was exactly how he’d always felt about her. But he’d considered that a good thing. Now he was just glad he’d never mentioned it out loud.

“But I understood where Roger was coming from,” she continued. “He is very special, after all.”

“Special? He sounds like a jackass.”

She tried to stifle a giggle but didn’t quite succeed. “Oh, he is, but he can’t help it. His family has a very strong influence on him. His mother’s ancestors came over on the Mayflower, you know.”

“Members of the crew, were they?” Shaking his head, he said, “Listen, Kelly, do you want me to have him killed? Because I know someone who knows someone who could—”

Kelly laughed. “That’s a sweet offer, but no. I just want to make him regret what he said when he broke things off, that’s all.”

He studied her for several moments. “He hurt you.” She shook her head. “No, no, he told me the truth and I have to be grateful for that.”

“Grateful? Why?”

She smiled tightly. “Because he helped me see things more clearly.”

“What kinds of things?” Brandon asked warily. “My own shortcomings.”

Once again, his fists were itching to punch something. Roger’s stomach, maybe, since he’d already mentally broken the jerk’s nose.

She smiled brightly. “So that’s why I’ve decided to get him back.”

“What? Get him back?” Why in the world would she want that scumbag back? Hell, Brandon didn’t even know Roger and he already hated him.

“Yes.” She spread her arms out. “And that explains the makeover.”

And with that, she made a show of checking her watch, effectively ending the conversation. Probably a good idea.

“So,” she said, changing the subject, “do you want me to order lunch from catering?”

He wasn’t finished talking about this, but clearly Kelly needed a time out. So he’d let it go. For now.

“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll have the steak sandwich.”

“Sounds good. I’ll call it in.”

He leaned forward in his chair. “Listen, Kelly, if you need any help or advice, anything at all, you’ll come to me. Promise?”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Absolutely.”

She studied his face as if she were weighing the depth of his sincerity. “You’re sure?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

She seemed to carry on a short debate with herself, then said, “Okay, there is one tiny thing you could help me with. If you wouldn’t mind.”

“You name it,” he said, reaching for his coffee mug.

“I’ll be right back.” She rushed out to her desk and was back in less than twenty seconds, holding a shopping bag from a well-known and expensive lingerie shop. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she pulled some wispy scraps of sheer material from the bag and dangled them for him to see.

“Which do you like better, the black thong or the red panties?”